Introducing Allegro Dance Studios

Special to Emmaus Patch By Chrissy Cilento, Emmaus High School Senior

Business , LLC
4030 Chestnut St. Emmaus
610-509-1313
allegrodancestudiosllc.com
AllegroDanceEmmaus (YouTube)
Allegro Dance Studios LLC Emmaus, PA (Facebook) 
Owner Lillian Freeman 

What service do you provide?
Allegro offers classes to students age 2 – Adult. Ballet, Pointe, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip Hop, Private Lessons, East Coast Swing and Wedding Choreography. 

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What are your hours?
Our hours vary per class. Generally we have evening hours - when kids are out of school. 

Why did you choose to locate your business in Emmaus?
I love the Emmaus Community. It is a great place for small businesses.  

How long have you been in business? 
I started my own business after working in the field for almost 10 years. I ran a dance studio for seven years and that experience taught me many important aspects of a small business and how it runs. This is the beginning of Allegro’s sixth season.

What inspired you to start your business? 
Dance inspires me more than anything else in the world. I have always loved to dance. It is my therapy. It is my life.  

What makes your business different from the competition? 
Allegro is different from other studios in that the classes have 10 students or less, all the teachers at Allegro majored in Dance in college and have professional dance experience, and Allegro does not participate in dance competitions.  

What is the most rewarding part of your business?
The most rewarding part of the business is teaching the students and seeing them grow as dancers.  

What’s the hardest part of your business? 
The hardest part is finding a balance between owning a business and being a busy mom.  

Where do you hope to see your business in the future?
I hope to see Allegro continue to offer dance to students for generations to come! 

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received? 
The best business advice that I have gotten is to have a financial planner.  

What advice would you give to someone thinking about entering this business and why?
You have to trust yourself and follow your gut. My advice is to make sure you have plenty of experience in your particular field, write a good business plan, and go for it! 

Do you have a role model or mentor for what you do?
My role models are the choreographers of "So You Think You Can Dance."  Watching them choreograph is inspiring and helps me to remember that if it comes from your heart, then how can it be wrong?  

What do you do when you aren't working? 
When I’m not working, I’m a mom, wife, cook, gardener, friend, and I try to live in the moment and enjoy all the wonderful gifts that life has to offer.

Chrissy Cilento, a senior at , plans to study journalism in college. She is a periodic contributor to Patch.